Thursday 21 July 2022

Fountains, Finally!!

Fountains Abbey (including Fountains Hall, Fountains Mill and Studley Royal with the deer park and St. Mary‘s - in short, the entire estate) is one of my favourite places in the world. Hardly surprising, therefore, that we went there on Monday (July 18).

This was the first of two record-breakingly hot days in the UK, and even in North Yorkshire, the temperature was expected to rise to around 36C. Still, we decided to go, and prepared accordingly by a) leaving early, b) carrying (and drinking) plenty of water, c) wearing appropriate clothes (including hats), d) applying sunscreen and e) walking at a leisurely pace and allowing for frequent stops whereever we could find a bit of shade.

The walk from Ripon to the village of Studley Roger, where the entance to the deer park is, does not take long. The uphill bit past the gates towards St. Mary‘s was not too hard, taking it slowly and under the welcome shade of the trees. 










Once arrived at the visitor centre, we had a good browse at the shop before getting our tickets and moving on. 

Fountains Hall was our next stop. It was still early enough for staff sweeping the floors, but the house was open and we looked at the exhibition, part of which we remembered from 2019.










From the Hall, it is not far to the Mill, where we enjoyed the exhibition of professional and very beautiful photographs taken during lockdown on the estate. 

The Mill kiosk was open, and we found a bench in the shade for cold drinks and sandwiches.

And then - Fountains Abbey, finally! One could argue that the ruins have been ruins for centuries, and seeing them once is enough. For me, it isn‘t enough; no matter how often I‘ve been, it is always beautiful, always a bit different and never boring.




















The tea room by the lake was only operating as a kiosk, but we just wanted a cold drink anyway, and saved our water bottles for the way home.

Walking back was a bit of a challenge, but we coped well with frequent stops in the shade and drinking water.

At the cottage, a couple of hours of rest was in order, before we prepared our meal for the evening, taken in the garden that is part of the cottage.

Since we have almost two full weeks here this time, we are thinking about another visit before we leave.

(The order of pictures is not exactly how it should be, but I find handling photos on blogger rather uncomfortable on my ipad, so it‘ll have to do.)

25 comments:

  1. The architecture is truly amazing.

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    1. It is quite spectacular, and one can clearly see how the abbey was enlarged and altered over the course of several centuries.

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  2. We are not short of Abbeys in North Yorkshire and Fountains is one of the best. My nearest is Jervaulx - not in the same league as Fountains but nevertheless a truly peaceful and tranquil spot.

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    1. So far, the only ones I have visited here apart from Fountains are Whitby and Byland. The latter touched me deeply, different and quiter than Fountains. In contrast, Whitby is full of drama.

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  3. Two full weeks! How wonderful! I'll be following your adventures with interest. :)

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    1. We have two weeks off, and with one entire day traveling at either end, that leaves us with 12 days in Ripon.

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  4. So much to see there! Good thing you and your sister are experienced hikers that know how to pace yourselves. That is a terrific photo of you!

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    1. Thank you, Ellen!
      Yes, it is vital to know one‘s limits - with hiking as much as with many other areas in life 🙂

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  5. You are doing a great job of promoting this humble county.

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    1. Maybe Yorkshire Welcome could sponsor my holiday.

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  6. I would never tire of Fountains Abbey either, it is so beautiful. Two weeks there, I hope you will relax and enjoy yourself, you and your sister! I am remembering the cottage where you like to stay when you are there, if it is the same one you have shown us before, I love it!

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    1. It is the very same, Kay, Matchbox Cottage. The former owner sold it two years ago, and we were so sad to lose ‘our’ cottage. Then, when we were looking for a place to stay during this year’s holiday, my sister discovered it on AirBnB - we were so happy!!

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  7. Thank you for this post. I love Fountains Abbey and miss it a lot.

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    1. We miss Fountains when we‘re not here, too, so this first visit since 2019 was long overdue!

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  8. Magnificent - can understand why you always want to return, it looks awesome.

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    1. It is of course even more so in reality; my pictures can only give a superficial impression.

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  9. I remember Fountain Abbey from one of our trips to England back in the early 1970s :)

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    1. Generally, it won‘t have changed much since the 70s, but some things have changed even since the last time we‘ve been three years ago.

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    2. Meike, I know from various revisited places in Sweden that even ruins rarely remain exactly the same over 50 years... ;-)

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  10. It's many years since I visited Fountains Abbey. I know that I've mentioned my stays in Ripon when you have blogged from there before but those visits are getting lost in the mists of time. A friend in Harrogate has been suggesting I visit. There was a time when I'd get in the car and think little of the journey. Now the idea of. such travel seems less and less attractive.So I shall enjoy your pictures and be happy.

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    1. You could try public transport, it has worked really well for us this time, and you would not even have to go through border control.

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  11. I have never tackled Fountains from that direction - it looks great, I should give it a try. Judging by your wonderful photos, you not only got the weather, but also managed to escape the crowds!

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    1. For us, it is the natural approach, walking over from Ripon. We also really like the village (or hamlet) of Studley Roger.
      We chose the Monday for our visit deliberately so that we would not run intomthe weekend crowds.

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  12. I love all the beautiful old buildings! The ruins are stunning!

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